“Sky Defender” by Killick

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You’re listening to The Voice of Dog.

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I’m Khaki, your faithful fireside companion,

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and Today’s story is

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“Sky Defender” by Killick,

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who has had several short stories published in various furry anthologies,

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and is currently working on his first book

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which should come out shortly before the heat death of the universe.

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“Sky Defender”

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by Killick Bare paws pounded on the soft ground,

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leaving footprints of damp, crushed grass

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and kicking up clods of dirt.

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The lanky ferret sprinted as fast as he could up the hill,

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racing for its peak,

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desperate to get there in time.

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His cloth tunic whipped and slapped against his brown fur,

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agitated by his movement and the strong wind that blew this high up.

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He grasped his strange bow tightly,

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and the strap of a quiver of thick arrows pulled against his shoulder.

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The ferret’s left arm was mostly covered in strange and complicated metal plating,

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that fit together like the shell of a crab.

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It was light, however,

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and didn’t weigh him down too much as he ran.

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A heavy beating of wings came from behind him,

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getting closer and closer as he ran.

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He sucked in large lungfuls of air,

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chest burning, the muscles in his legs

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crying out in protest as he ran,

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pushing himself to stay just a little bit ahead of the dark shadow.

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The peak of the hill came ever closer.

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It was like a finger of green against the blue sky,

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as the sides of the grassy hill

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dropped away into steep,

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rocky cliff faces,

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the path getting quickly narrower as he sprinted forward.

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The shadow moved to the side

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and over the edge of the hill until the enormous creature was to the left

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and below of the ferret,

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nearly completely caught up.

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Forcing just a little more power into his straining legs,

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the ferret ran faster despite the increasing slope.

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He leapt, his momentum carrying him forward

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through the sky and he seemed to hover in the air for just a moment,

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the safety of solid ground disappearing behind him.

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A thousand feet below,

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a river surrounded by a lush green forest

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glistened like crystal in the sun,

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feeding from the forest into a rough patchwork quilt

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of fields and crops.

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He started to plummet,

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the wind roaring in his ears,

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and the forest below getting bigger as he fell.

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A dark shadow spread over the lake

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as a massive black dragon flew beneath him,

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its wings beating at the air to keep its body aloft.

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The ferret landed on the dragon with a thud,

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near the base of its long,

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thick neck. He quickly pulled a metal clip from his woven belt and attached it to a leather strap that wound around the dragon’s neck like a thin collar.

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“Gotcha!” the ferret called

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as he checked the rope that tethered him to the beast.

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“I thought you weren’t going to make it,”

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came the booming voice of the dragon.

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“You could have at least slowed down a little,”

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said the ferret, panting for breath.

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He slung the strange bow over his shoulder

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and positioned himself comfortably on the dragon’s neck.

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“I slowed down plenty,” the dragon shot back playfully.

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As soon as he felt the legs straddling his neck move into their usual position,

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he thrust his powerful wings back,

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propelling them both forward through the air at incredible speeds.

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“For a moment there, I thought you weren’t going to catch me,”

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the ferret teased,

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patting the dragon’s hard scales.

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He leaned forward to steady himself against the oncoming rush of wind.

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“You know I would never let you fall, Ollie.” “I know, Ghai.” The two shot forward through the sky,

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the river and fields flashing by beneath them.

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It was a glorious day.

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The sun shone bright but not harshly,

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and dark clouds rolls towards the forest from the horizon

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bringing with them the promise of much wanted rain.

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But Ollie and Ghai had a much more important task than just admiring the weather.

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“I see them. Up ahead,”

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Ghai called back to his rider.

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Ollie squinted through the rushing wind.

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His eyesight was not as keen as the dragon’s,

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but he could see several blots in the distance, also flying through the air.

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As they got closer Ollie

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could start to make out details of the blots.

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Each one was a large, square metal case

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suspended in the air with a spinning rotor

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that stuck out of the top.

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Two arms were attached to the side of each case,

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ending in a smooth metal spike.

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A single glass eye in the front of the box

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glowed with a dim purple light.

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Ollie and Ghai both knew that it was more of a sensor than an eye,

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leaving the oblong robot with very few blind spots.

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Each of the robots was roughly painted in a gaudy yellow,

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with a black stripe around the middle.

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“Buzzers!” he called out.

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“I know. I count about a dozen.”

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The dragon’s neck shifted around as he noted the positions of the flying robots.

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“This should be fun,”

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Ollie grinned as he took his bow from his shoulder

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and held it firmly in his left hand.

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A short string of beads and feathers

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tied to the top of the bow whipped in the wind.

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He gave the bow a solid flick

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and a spindly metal scope unfolded itself from the wooden length,

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and the string started to hum and glow

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with a faint blue pulse.

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With his right hand

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he pulled an arrow from his quiver.

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These were no ordinary arrows.

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The shaft was still made from strong wood,

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but very thick. The arrowhead was long and sharp,

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but had a round metal ball at the base, as if someone had driven a thin spike through a walnut.

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And instead of fletching,

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a small ceramic bulb,

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shaped somewhat like a pear,

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sat at the end of the arrow.

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Three tiny holes had been drilled into the fat base of the bulb,

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parallel with the arrow shaft.

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Ollie nocked the first arrow.

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As soon as it touched against the string,

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the arrow head lit up in the same blue glow.

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He could see the first buzzer clearly through the scope,

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placing the glass eye directly in the middle of black crosshairs.

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“You ready?” Ghai called back to him.

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“Always am,” Ollie responded,

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his arms steady. The ferret released the arrow,

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and less than a second after zooming from his bow

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three tiny jets of flame

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burst out of the three holes in the ceramic bulb,

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propelling it forward even faster than before.

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The arrow whizzed through the sky towards the robot at incredible speed,

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then slammed into the glass eye.

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The buzzer reeled back in the air,

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arms flailing, as the long arrowhead lodged in its sensor.

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A second later the arrowhead exploded in a small ball of blue flames,

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blasting the front of the robot to pieces. Ollie whooped as he watched the now useless metal husk

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drop from the sky,

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surrounded by a cloud of smoke,

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sparks, and hot fragments.

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“Nice shot!” Ghai roared.

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“Thanks!” said Ollie, rubbing the dragon’s neck scales.

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“But the first one is always the easiest.”

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He was right. The buzzers were very aware of the two now

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and moved towards them as one,

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purple sensors glinting and winking in the bright sunlight.

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The real battle was about to begin.

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There was the clank of machinery

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and the hum of energy as the flying robots powered up

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and aimed their spiked arms.

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“Hold on!” yelled Ghai,

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rolling out of the way as the first volley of lasers streaked towards them.

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The dragon dove a few metres

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and let his momentum carry him back up in line with the buzzers,

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flapping in heavy strokes to pick up speed

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and rush closer towards them.

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Ollie nocked another arrow

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and let it fly with the same practiced accuracy.

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His eyes followed the trail of smoke left by the jet powered arrow

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and watched it plough into a buzzer with a crack of electrical sparks followed by a small bang.

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The heat from the explosion washed against his face,

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but he barely noticed.

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Ghai was speeding ever closer to the nucleus of the swarm,

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dodging and weaving around bolts of purple energy that sizzled when they passed too close to his scales.

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“Get down!” Ghai shouted.

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Ollie obeyed, hugging his body as close as possible to the dragon’s neck.

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Ghai sprinted forwards,

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at the last second tucking his wings against his back

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as he shot through the swarm.

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Many of the robots moved quickly out of his way,

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continuing to fire while trying to keep the swift dragon in their sights,

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accidentally destroying one of their own in the crossfire.

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Ghai couldn’t help but let loose a victorious laugh.

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The dragon aimed himself upwards,

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smoothly twisting in the air to bring him headed back towards the robots.

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“I told you it would work!”

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Ghai called back to his rider.

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Ollie already had his bow out again and was lining up another shot.

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“I never said it wouldn’t,”

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the ferret called back.

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He shot another out of the sky.

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“But it seems that I’ve taken down three,

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and the big, scary dragon has only gotten one!”

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“Oh, it’s a competition, is it?”

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Ghai reared his head and neck back,

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making Ollie fumble and grab on tight to his scales.

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His eyes went black,

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and with a roar he unleashed a ball of pure white fire from his mouth.

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The buzzers tried to get away,

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the group scattering in all directions, but one was caught dead on.

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The robot burned white hot as it was consumed by the flames,

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completely disintegrating with a squeal of twisting metal.

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With not even any wreckage to fall,

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the ash simply blew away on the wind.

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Two others were caught at the edge of the blast,

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and tumbled through the air before crashing together in a tangle of arm spikes and rotors,

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shredding each other to pieces

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as they tried to separate.

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Ghai sucked in a huge lungful of air

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and dove to the left,

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swiping at the rotor of another buzzer with his talons.

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With no way to keep itself aloft

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it simply dropped,

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falling like a stone

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and disappearing from view.

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Ollie lurched himself back into position

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and waved some ash out of his face, annoyed.

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“You need to give me some warning before you do that.”

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“Sorry,” Ghai grinned and breathed heavily.

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His wings worked hard to keep them in the air and out of the way of the constant barrage of lasers.

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“We need to finish this quickly before you tire yourself out.

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You shouldn’t use your fire like that so early.”

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The dragon huffed,

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but his friend was right.

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He could start to feel the strain in his wings.

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“Alright then. Let’s do this!”

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They sped forward again,

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Ghai paying close attention to the buzzers and lasers,

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dodging and weaving to keep them both safe.

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He flew close to one,

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grabbing it by the arms and tearing it apart with his strong talons.

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Ollie shot two more down,

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missing only once when Ghai turned unexpectedly.

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There were only two more buzzers left,

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and they moved together at the dragon with surprising speed.

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Ghai soared in a tight circle around them,

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letting Ollie take careful aim with his bow.

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The ferret looked carefully down the metal scope,

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preparing to fire. There was a

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flash of purple sparks

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as a lucky shot from one of the buzzers

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blasted against Ollie’s left arm,

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ricocheting off his armour.

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He cried out in pain and let his shot go,

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the arrow flying uselessly in the wrong direction. “Ollie!”

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Ghai screamed.

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“I’m okay!” he called back, holding his shaking arm close to his chest.

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“It hit my armour.” “Are you sure?”

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Ghai turned his head back to check on his friend.

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Before Ollie could respond,

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more sparks lit up around him

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as lasers pounded against the distracted dragon’s scales,

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making the ferret scream.

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Ghai roared and flew up and out of the way of the assault,

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gritting his teeth against the stinging pain of the blasts.

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He knew a buzzer’s laser couldn’t kill him,

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but he had to protect Ollie.

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The ferret held on for dear life against the hard pull of gravity.

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His arm still ached,

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but he was next to certain he hadn’t been hit anywhere else.

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Ghai straightened out,

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and Ollie let go to double check he was still in one piece.

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“Are you okay?” Ghai yelled frantically.

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Ollie could find no smoldering holes in him,

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and breathed a sigh of relief.

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“I’m fine. Just keep focused.”

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He leant to the side to see where the last two buzzers were.

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He kept on leaning.

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And leaning. He was already falling before he realised something was wrong.

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Ollie gave a short yelp

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as he watched the dragon suddenly above him

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and moving away at speed.

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His rope tether whipped around like an angry snake,

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the end singed and smoking.

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It had been shot through.

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“Ollie!” Ghai screamed as watched his rider fall.

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He hesitated, confused for just a second

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as to how the ferret had fallen,

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but then it didn’t matter

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and he dove after his friend.

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Purple beams sizzled past Ollie as he fell,

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the buzzers still firing away at their target.

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Twisting his body to face the ground,

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he could see the buzzers below him getting closer worryingly fast.

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He swore loudly only a moment

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before he slammed into one of the robots,

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miraculously missing the spinning rotor.

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Unable to support the weight,

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ferret and robot went spinning towards the ground.

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Ollie ignored the pain in his chest and dug his fingers into the metal casing

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and held on for dear life,

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while still grasping his bow.

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Sensing that its target was now on top of it,

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the buzzer stopped firing and instead

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turned its glowing arm spikes to point at the ferret. Ollie felt the tingle of the deadly energy fizz and hiss in the air around him.

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He gasped when he saw the sharp spikes slowly move towards his spine.

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He knew he had to move fast or die.

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Still holding his precious bow tight in his left hand,

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he pulled a small dagger from his belt with his right

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and quickly stabbed the buzzer in the eye,

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shanking it over and over again,

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shattering the glass

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and destroying the wires and circuits beneath.

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Ollie fell away from the robot,

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no longer holding on,

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the force of his stabbing pushing him away.

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Small shocks of electricity popped inside the body of the buzzer,

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and the spikes powered down.

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Ollie slipped between the spikes

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and away from the now dead buzzer,

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into the loud rush of air.

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The ground rushed up to meet him,

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and he whispered a quick prayer.

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Suddenly, the wind was forced out of his lungs as his body was yanked back by his hips.

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“I’ve got you!” Hanging by his waist, Ollie gasped for air,

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one of Ghai’s claws curled carefully through his woven belt.

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The ferret took a second to appreciate that he was not splattered all over the ground,

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and realised his trembling body was suspended a few hundred feet in the air.

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“About time!” he shouted up at the dragon,

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but tried to force a grin as well.

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He looked up at Ghai and saw watery eyes and a face full of fear.

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“I’m so sorry,” said Ghai.

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“Hey, it’s not your fault.

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My tether got sliced.”

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He smiled and nodded,

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trying to reassure the dragon that he was okay.

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“I know you’d never let me fall.”

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Ghai nodded back and started to fly up again,

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grasping Ollie firmly around his skinny waist with both talons

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and being careful not to squeeze too hard.

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“We still have one more problem to take care of,”

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Ghai rumbled. The final buzzer was coming at them from above,

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arm spikes charged and firing hot.

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Lasers streaked down at the dragon, but Ghai easily dodged the single robot assault.

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“Smash it!” Ollie screamed,

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punching the air with his bow hand.

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Ghai roared and rushed forwards at the buzzer,

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making it lurch backwards,

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then spun his entire body in mid air

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and slapped the yellow robot with his powerful tail.

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Ollie whooped and cheered as he watched the crumpled buzzer spin through the air,

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desperately trying to keep itself aloft with a bent and failing rotor,

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small bits of metal coming loose and falling away.

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Not completely satisfied,

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Ghai focused power in his chest

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and unleashed another ball of white fire

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and the buzzer burst into a cloud of grey ash.

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“That was overkill,”

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laughed Ollie. Ghai nodded

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and panted for breath.

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His neck and limbs

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drooped in exhaustion.

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“It was worth it,” the dragon breathed.

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“And very cool.” Ollie patted Ghai’s leg in approval.

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“Let’s head home. You need to rest.

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The village should be safe now.”

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Ghai smiled and turned his body back to towards the cliff.

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He aimed for the river in the forest far below him

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and let his wings glide gently on the wind.

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They were all safe now.

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This was “Sky Defender” by Killick,

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read for you by Khaki,

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your faithful fireside companion.

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As always, you can find more stories on the web at thevoice.dog, or find the show wherever you get your podcasts.

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Thank you for listening

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to The Voice of Dog.